Improvement in transposition key-boards for pianos and organs



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E. K. MILLIKEN. Transposition Keyboard for Pianos and OrgansNo.'206,345. Patented July 23,1878.

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E. K. MILLIKEN. Transposition Keyboard for Piano-s and Organs.

No. 206,345. 'Pate nted July 23,1878.

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N. PETERS, PHOTO LIYH0GRAFHERI WASHINGTON. D C.

E. K. MILLIKEN. Transposition Keyboard for Pianos and Organs,

No. 206,345. Patented Ju|y 23.1878.

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' No. 206,345. Patented July 23.1878.

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- E. K. MILLIKEN. Transposition Keyboard for Pianos and Organs.

No. 206,345. Patented July 23. 1878.

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E. K. MIL-LIKEN. Transposition Keyboard for Pianos and Organs.

No. 206,345. Patented July 23,1878.

WITNESSEIS= INVHNTORI g/W 2M; 7/wzw -PETERS, PHOTO-LIYHDGRAPMER WASHNGTON D c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDlVARD K. MILLIKEJ, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRANSPOSITION KEY-BOARDS FOR PIANOS AND ORGANS.

SIHH'lllCilblUll forming part of Let ters Patent No. 206,345, dated July22?, 137R; application filed May 20, 187 5.

To all 107mm it"may concern:

ieit known that l, EDWARD K. MiLLrknx, of Portland, in the county ofCumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pianos, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, referen ce being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersof reference marked. thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a top plan of the key-board. Fig. 2 is a front-edge view,showing the cam a. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan, showing the rack and pinionto move the sliding bed. Fig. 4 is a side elevation and part section,showing the position of the key with the beveled joint when the joint isclosed. Fig. 5 is the same with the key elevated or the joint open. Fig.6 is a side elevation and part section when the whole long key is used,and the supplemental tracker. Fig. 7 is the same in action. Fig.8 is atop plan of a series of keys under this arrangement, showing theposition of the pivots. Figs. 9, l0, and 11 are side and topplan viewsof a modification of Fig. (i, in which the whole long key merely strikesthe supplemental tracker at a different point. Figs. 12 and 13 aremodifications of the joint and section seen in Fig. 4.

Same letters show like parts.

The object of my invention is to produce such modifications in thekey-boards of pianos, organs, &e., that the t *ansposition of the scalecan be effected by such altered position of the keys of the key-boardrelatively to the levers, hammers, or valves as that music may be playedin different keys while the fingers of the player operate upon the samekeys of the key-board.

It consists in providing the keys of the keyboard in one form of myinvention with joints or sections, and also with a sliding bed, so thatthe keys of the key-board may be unjointed from and reunited with, atpleasure, the other part of the key, called the tracker. Thus unjointed,the keys of the key-board are moved. along the outer ends of thetrackers, as hereinafter described.

It also consists in the combination of the long key, a sliding bed, andsupplemental trackers, as hereinafter described. The long key or leverin this case slides under the supplemental tracker to effect thetransposition.

IVith a view to the right or left movement of the keys of the key-board,I place the keys over and upon a sliding bed or carriage, a, or anyother movable device like a, which, with the aid of the pins 1) and b,or any other like device, is capable, in one form of my invention, byits motion, of guiding the keys of the keyboard into any desiredrelation to the trackers c or the levers, hammers, or valves.

In another form of my invention the keys are guided into a new relationto the trackers placed over the inner end of the keys. The key, in thiscase, is made to include the entire length of the lever from the pointwhere the hand of the player is put to the point where the end of thelever makes its joint with the supplementary tracker. The supplementarytrackers are seen at c. In this form, also, the pins b will be dispensedwith, leaving only those pins which are usually employed to steady thekeys.

The sliding bed or carriage a moves over a bed, (I, and the direction ofits movement is controlled and rendered accurate by a slot or slots inthe bed (I, in conjunction with guidepins or other devices working inslot or slots. (Indicated by f.) The direction of the movement of thebed (1 follows the direction of the slot or slots, and this directioncan be either as illustrated in the drawings, or in a direction at rightangles thereto, as illustrated at Figs. 12 and 13. The keys are movedtoward the player,to separate them from the supplementary trackers, soas to be able to transpose.

In one form of my invention I separate the keys from that part calledthe trackers by making a section, which, while it permits of the keys ofthe key-board being separated from the trackers, at the same time holdsthem in firm and rigid union, when the keys of the keyboard are in acorrect position for playing upon the instrument. The essential featuresof this section and joint are, as above indicated, that the keys of thekey-board may be easily and quickly unjointed from what in this form Icall the trackers, and at the same time, when not so unjointed, areunited with sut'fieient rigid ity to the socalled trackers for the operations of the instrument.

In the accompanying drawings, at g, I have shown a beveled joint orsection, with the spring h clasping the point i of the trackers, andholding the keys of the key-board in a horizontal position. At the topof the keys of the key-board, where they unite with the soealledtrackers, there is a groove, j, with a bead, k, working in the same.

It is manifest, however, that the mere form of the section or joint isnot a matter of invention; but it is essential that the joint should beso made as to permit the characteristics above enumerated in this formof joint, namely, firmness of union and ease of separation, also thepower of separation in the direction desired-that is to say, up and downthe length of the instrument or in a forward direction toward theplayer. But when the supplemental tracker is employed as exhibited inFigs. 6, 7,

S, 9, 10, and 11 the long key or lever, when the scale is transposed,simply slides under the supplemental tracker c, and the joint is formedby the top face of the long lever or key pressing up against the underside of the supplemental tracker.

In either form of my invention various forms of joint may be used; butfor the purpose of my invention they are the same, so long as the keysof the key-board are at some point so united to the trackers as tooperate as indicated.

It is not essential that the joint or section in my invention be made atthe point indicated in the drawings at Figs. 4 and 5; but such joint orsection may be made nearer to or farther from the end of the so-calledtrackers.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown in Figs. 4 and 5 a form ofjoint or section above referred to; but I desire to specify that thereare others which will readily occur to the mechanic, and that I do notlimit my invention to that form. WVhenever such joint is capable ofbeing readily and firmly made and easily separated, for the purpose ofsliding the keys of the key-board along the outer ends of the so-calledtrackers of either kind herein described, so that the keys of thekey-board may operate upon the hammers as desired, the purpose of theinvention will be attained.

For the purpose of sliding the keys of the keyboard along the so-calledtrackers, where the two unite, the keys of the key-board must, duringthat operation, be wholly or partially so disunited from the so-calledtrackers. This applies either to the form of the joint or section shownat Figs. 4 and 5, or to that shown at Figs. 6, 7, 9, 10. All that isnecessary is that the keys of the key-board, whether considered asincluding the entire lever or tracker, as shown at Figs. 9 and 10, 6 and7, or considered as including that part in front of section or joint, asshown in Figs. 4 and 5, may be moved without too much friction.

As shown at Fig. 5, the movement of the keys of the key-board isproduced by slightly elevating the bed (I. This unclasps the springs hand permits of the movement of the keys of the key-board along the outerend of the socalled trackers. The upper parts of the keys of thekey-board, with their beads, then slide easily and without friction inthe grooves jof the so-ca-lled trackers, and so permit of the desiredtransposition of the scale to a higher or lower pitch.

The unclasping of the spring h referred to is more easily attained bythe raising or depression of the keys of the key-board. In order toaccomplish this movement, I have hinged the bed (I at m, so that it canbe raised or lowered on said hinges by the eama, or any other equivalentdevice, when the keys of the keyboard are separated from their unionwith the hammers by the movement of the key-board toward the player.

The raising and lowering above described is not necessary; but in theform of joint shown at Figs. 6, 7, J, 10, where the supplemental trackeris used, no raising or depression of the sliding bed is required,because in this modification the entire long lever, or what in thisinstance may properly be called a key, is simply slid under or oversupplemental tracker 0; but in either form of the joint above describedtransposition is effccted by the move ment of the keys of the key-board,whether longer or shorter, upon a sliding bed, a, such as is hereindescribed, to which bed the keys are united by pivots or pins; and ineither case, whether longer or shorter keys, they operate directly uponthe trackers which raise the hammers.

In a piano the hammers must be left undisturbed, and duringtransposition, such as above described, they must maintain an unchangedrelation to the strings of the harp; otherwise the instrument would bedestroyed.

My invention contemplates such method of transposing the scale ininstruments having key-boards as is applicable alike to pianos andorgans. To accomplish this object, as above indicated, I impart to thekeys of the keyboard separability from the action, and the capability ofbeing moved over or under the trackers which operate the levers whichmove the hammers, and I give to them the power of united action when anymovement of the keys of the key-board has been made. This enables thekeys of the key-board to be separated from the trackers c orsupplementary trackers 0' while this movement of the'key-board takesplace; and I also provide for a conjoint action of the two when thedesired relative position has been obtained.

My invention contemplates transposition of the scale of music by themovement'of either the longer or shorter keys, herein shown anddescribed, along, over, or under the trackers, as shown in Figs. 4 and5, 6 and 7, 9 and 10.

\Vhen the whole lever or key is moved to effect transposition the pivotsof the keysconstitute the pins which unite the levers to the sliding bedor carriage, as illustrated at 0, together with the steadypins at ornear the outer ends of the keys.

By this method the action of the piano is much improved. The pivots ofthe long levers or keys are so placed on the sliding bed that the arethrough which the operating end of every key moves is exactly the same.I effect this improvement in the touch of pianos by uniform length ofleverage, which produces uniformity in the dip of the keys.

By the arrangement of the supplemental trackers, as shown both at Fi gs.6 and 7, 9 and 10, a compensative leverage is provided, by which themovement of the hammers is made uniform. (See 0.) 3y this arrangementthe swing of the hammers is made uniform.

1' shows a scale moving over an index, 3. This scale is so graduated asto show transposition to half or whole notes, or more than a note ortone, as the player may desire to make. This indicator enables theplayer easily and promptly to know whether he has made such a change inthe pitch of the piece of music as he may happen to wish.

i shows a toothed rack on the sliding bed, and n a pinion, by which thebed is made to move by the meshing of the pinion with the rack. Thisarrangement slides the keys of the key-board, whether longer or shorter,as described.

r are pins let into the sliding bed, and working in slots], so as toguide the movement of the sliding bed (I. l

The supplemental tracker may be made of the form shown in the d 'awings, or it may be connected with the hammer.

\VhatI claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-- 1. The joint and section between the key and tracker, incombination with the bead 7., groovej, point i, and spring 71, tooperate as herein described.

2. The combination of the sliding bed a and pins 1) and I) with the keysof the keyboard, when separable from the trackers c by means of thejoint and section, as herein specified, and shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

3. The sliding bed (1, having guide-pins, as described, in combinationwith the bed (7, slotted as described, the said bed a being adapted tobe raised or depressed or moved inwardly and outwardly, as herein setforth.

4. In combination with the sliding bed a, the long keys, their pivots,the su n'ilemental trackers c, and their pivots u, as shown anddescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing my own I affix my signature inthe presence of two witnesses.

EDXXC-klll) K. MILLTKEX.

Witnesses CHAnLns E. Cmrronn, \V. S. DYER.

